This thesis proposes a general overview of the three principal critical approaches to images of female madness in the work of Andre Breton, more specifically in his narrative Nadja. Grounded, respectively, in a Freudian, a feminist and a mythocritical perspective, these approaches tend to present a negative vision of Nadja's madness. After examining the arguments made by proponents of each approach, this study seeks to lay the foundations for positive analyses which will allow for the rehabilitation of female madness and the foregrounding of the link between insanity and female identity. Breton at once desired and fostered this feminine condition, which he deemed to be essential to creation and the discovery of the secret meaning of life: the marvelous. While it may convey disconcerting qualities, female madness is portrayed as noble and exceptional in this unique book whose title is the Russian word for hope.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.101889 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Lépine, Viviane. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | French |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Département de langue et littérature françaises.) |
| Rights | © Viviane Lépine, 2007 |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002665972, proquestno: AAIMR38459, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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